Real analysts use R – well it sounds a bit macho, but actually there is some truth in it. R is the most widely used, and arguably the most powerful analysis software on the planet. Revolution Analytics has taken this Open Source wild child and turned it into something the enterprise can use with relevant support, training and enhanced productivity.

Revolution R Enterprise is built on open source R and has been enhanced for performance, productivity (through visual tools), and integration with enterprise data sources – and particularly Apache Hadoop for big data applications. Support and training services are bundled on top of the technology – something most organisations will require.

A community edition of Revolution R is available for free. It doesn’t come with the visual tools or database interoperability, but it is faster than the Open Source version.

Many large corporations use Revolution R Enterprise – it’s a bedrock of their analytical activity. Unlike more proprietary offerings you are unlikely to reach any dead ends using R – but you have to know what you are doing.

You can find the full review and reviews of nine other predictive analytics platforms at the link below.